Vertical root distribution and biomass allocation along proglacial chronosequences in Central Switzerland

Root development and architecture were studied in three Rumex species growing in a perforated soil system in the greenhouse. Distinct differences in vertical root distribution under drained conditions were found among the three species. Rumex acetosa and R. palustris had a relatively superficial root pattern, whereas in R. crispus much of the root growth was concentrated in lower soil layers. In the upper soil layer the relative growth rate of the roots of R. palustris was significantly larger than that of the other species. A relation between the characteristic rooting patterns under drained conditions and the Rumex zonation in the field is discussed.

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Difference in vertical root distribution of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) and its relationship to soil properties in four typical soil profiles in Hokkaido, Japan

Soil Science & Plant Nutrition ◽

10.1111/j.1747-0765.2010.00507.x ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 56 (5) ◽

pp. 745-749 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Nobuhiko FUEKI ◽

Harunobu TAKEUCHI

Keyword(s):

Sugar Beet ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Beta Vulgaris ◽

Root Distribution ◽

Soil Profiles ◽

Vertical Root Distribution ◽

Typical Soil

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Belowground to aboveground biomass ratio and vertical root distribution responses of mature Pinus radiata stands to phosphorus fertilization at planting

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x04-069 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 34 (9) ◽

pp. 1883-1894 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Ayalsew Zerihun ◽

Kelvin D Montagu

Keyword(s):

Pinus Radiata ◽

Aboveground Biomass ◽

Root Distribution ◽

Root Biomass ◽

Phosphorus Fertilization ◽

P Fertilization ◽

Coarse Roots ◽

Vertical Root Distribution ◽

Allometric Relations ◽

P Supply

We compared the belowground biomass (BGB)/aboveground biomass (AGB) ratio and the vertical root distribution of 40-year-old Pinus radiata D. Don fertilized with 0 or 90 kg P·ha1 at planting. Root biomass was determined by a combination of coring (fine roots, ϕ < 2 mm; small roots, 2 ≤ ϕ < 15 mm) and excavation (coarse roots, ϕ ≥ 5 mm). Stand-level AGB and coarse root biomass (CRB) were estimated with the use of allometric relations. After 40 years, AGB and CRB of P-fertilized trees were 4.5 times those of unfertilized trees, indicating that CRB scaled isometrically with AGB independently of P supply. By contrast, P fertilization increased the fine and small root biomass (FSRB) pool by only 50%. As a result, the scaling of FSRB to AGB was dependent on P supply. The differential response of the FSRB to P fertilization caused the overall BGB/AGB ratio to decrease from 0.29 in control plots to 0.20 in P-fertilized plots. Phosphorus fertilization also altered the vertical distribution of fine root biomass (FRB). For example, the proportion of FRB in the top 15 cm increased from 41% to 52% with P fertilization. Collectively, the results showed that P added early in the growth phase had a persistent effect on the BGB/AGB ratio in P. radiata. This was primarily brought about by altered biomass partitioning to the nutrient-acquiring FSRB pool.

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Root water uptake and profile soil water as affected by vertical root distribution

Plant Ecology ◽

10.1007/s11258-006-9163-y ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 189 (1) ◽

pp. 15-30 ◽

Cited By ~ 54

Author(s):

Gui-Rui Yu ◽

Jie Zhuang ◽

Keiichi Nakayama ◽

Yan Jin

Keyword(s):

Soil Water ◽

Water Uptake ◽

Root Distribution ◽

Root Water Uptake ◽

Vertical Root Distribution

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An optimality-based model of the coupled soil moisture and root dynamics

Hydrology and Earth System Sciences ◽

10.5194/hess-12-913-2008 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 913-932 ◽

Cited By ~ 90

Author(s):

S. J. Schymanski ◽

M. Sivapalan ◽

M. L. Roderick ◽

J. Beringer ◽

L. B. Hutley

Keyword(s):

Soil Moisture ◽

Water Uptake ◽

Root Distribution ◽

Root Respiration ◽

Root Water Uptake ◽

Dry Season ◽

Soil Moisture Dynamics ◽

Model Based ◽

Vertical Root Distribution ◽

Moisture Dynamics

Abstract. The main processes determining soil moisture dynamics are infiltration, percolation, evaporation and root water uptake. Modelling soil moisture dynamics therefore requires an interdisciplinary approach that links hydrological, atmospheric and biological processes. Previous approaches treat either root water uptake rates or root distributions and transpiration rates as given, and calculate the soil moisture dynamics based on the theory of flow in unsaturated media. The present study introduces a different approach to linking soil water and vegetation dynamics, based on vegetation optimality. Assuming that plants have evolved mechanisms that minimise costs related to the maintenance of the root system while meeting their demand for water, we develop a model that dynamically adjusts the vertical root distribution in the soil profile to meet this objective. The model was used to compute the soil moisture dynamics, root water uptake and fine root respiration in a tropical savanna over 12 months, and the results were compared with observations at the site and with a model based on a fixed root distribution. The optimality-based model reproduced the main features of the observations such as a shift of roots from the shallow soil in the wet season to the deeper soil in the dry season and substantial root water uptake during the dry season. At the same time, simulated fine root respiration rates never exceeded the upper envelope determined by the observed soil respiration. The model based on a fixed root distribution, in contrast, failed to explain the magnitude of water use during parts of the dry season and largely over-estimated root respiration rates. The observed surface soil moisture dynamics were also better reproduced by the optimality-based model than the model based on a prescribed root distribution. The optimality-based approach has the potential to reduce the number of unknowns in a model (e.g. the vertical root distribution), which makes it a valuable alternative to more empirically-based approaches, especially for simulating possible responses to environmental change.

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Root Mass and Vertical Root Distribution of Five Semi-arid Plant Species

Health Physics ◽

10.1097/00004032-199002000-00006 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 58 (2) ◽

pp. 191-197 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Timothy D. Reynolds

Keyword(s):

Plant Species ◽

Root Distribution ◽

Root Mass ◽

Vertical Root Distribution ◽

Semi Arid

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Root distribution of lychee trees growing in acid soils of subtropical Queensland

Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture ◽

10.1071/ea9900699 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 30 (5) ◽

pp. 699 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

CM Menzel ◽

RL Aitken ◽

AW Dowling ◽

DR Simpson

Keyword(s):

Soil Properties ◽

Root Distribution ◽

Chemical Properties ◽

Acid Soils ◽

Sampling Technique ◽

Exchange Capacity ◽

Root Density ◽

Rooting Depth ◽

Ph Values ◽

Vertical Root Distribution

A core sampling technique was used to investigate the vertical root distribution of 8-10-year-old lychee trees (Litchi chinensis cv. Tai So) growing on 5 acid soils in subtropical Queensland (lat. 27�s.). At each site, soil and roots were sampled at 10 cm depth intervals to 100 cm, the root density determined and a range of soil chemical and physical properties measured. Eighty percent of the feeder roots were located within the top 0-20 cm (1 site), 0 4 0 cm (2 sites) or 0-60 cm (2 sites). The depth of rooting was greatest in the fine textured soils, while the greatest total root density was recorded in the coarse textured soils. The data suggest that the placement of tensiometers for water scheduling needs to take into account the effective rooting depth of lychee because it may vary with soil type. At all sites, pH values were acidic (pH<6.0) and subsoil pH values were below 5.5, and exchangeable Ca decreased and exchangeable A1 increased with depth. Four of the 5 sites had subsoil with >30% Al saturation of the cation exchange capacity. Although root density (all sites) was correlated with a number of soil chemical properties, stepwise multiple linear regression showed that 62% of the variation in root density could be explained by a curvilinear function of depth. The intercorrelations between soil properties and the correlation of depth with some properties demonstrate the difficulties in separating the effects of depth per se from those of soil properties in reducing root growth.

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